


Empress Jo

by yenagram



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Child Abuse, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Romance, Slow Burn, Tags Contain Spoilers, Yulyen, perhaps a little hyeyul would be nice, this is a long emotional ride, yujin and chaewon are badasses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27577880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yenagram/pseuds/yenagram
Summary: ❝Let's write our history, my empress.❞In the midst of an ongoing war within the three kingdoms of Korea, Yuri is a court lady from Korea who is sent to the land of Japan by the queen of Goguryeo. To seek military assistance, Yuri has to take advantage of Japan's imperial family and gain the likes of their crown princess with nothing but her plan in mind: to be the empress of the foreign land.
Relationships: Ahn Yujin/Jang Wonyoung, Choi Yena & Jo Yuri, Choi Yena/Jo Yuri, Kim Chaewon (IZONE)/Kim Minju, Kwon Eunbi/Lee Chaeyeon
Kudos: 9





	Empress Jo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! this fic is based on the actual empress, empress gi of china. updates are really inconsistent, but as much as possible, i would like update with chapters around 10k around with content that my readers are going to be satisfied with. have fun reading, yulyen nation!
> 
> Ordinary rules apply as usual. '&' implies a switch to another perspective. '&&' implies a flashback narrative.
> 
> \- lia
> 
> [my twitter!](https://twitter.com/yenagram)

There was a pale glow on the crown princess’ face when she jolted awake from her slumber. With the rays of the warm sun hitting her vision, she curses to herself once she takes notice of her whereabouts. She had just fallen asleep on the ligneous table that is placed at the centre of her chambers again without realization, and the awareness slaps her on the face when she hears the sound of porcelain clanking next to her arms followed by the sound of someone calling out her name.

Startled by the sudden noise all around her, she sits up straight before groaning deeply, her hand quickly reaching up to rub the side of her neck. She was a mess – her hair was tousled into a confused mass, her imperial attire stained with what looked like intoxicants, and her body ached terribly with pain. Her eyes were still squinted and her fingers danced around her neck to ease the tension. She doesn’t remember anything from last night, not even a quick blink.

“Your Imperial Majesty, are you in there?”

Her eyes flutter open once again when the realization strikes her hard in the head – talking about heads, hers throbbed in horrible pain. She parts her mouth in hopes to speak, only to feel the sharp burn from her throat. There it was, her eyes widened when she saw the empty cups of _sake_ spilled all over her tablecloth, and peels of tangerines scattered all over her lap.

“Your Imperial Majesty, I’m afraid to tell you that you have to bestir yourself awake. Her Imperial Majesty is requesting an imperial breakfast with the imperial family all together.”

The sounds of clanking and thudding are heard again, coming from the crown princess herself as she tried to regain her composure in a hurry. She felt panicked – her ears twitched at the mention of her own mother. Out of all days to supplicate for an imperial breakfast, it just had to be on the one where she was terribly wasted.

The crown princess clears her throat, standing upright on the soles of her feet while attempting to gain her balance back. “Understood. I’ll be out in a minute, thank you.”

There was only a matter of minutes for her to present herself passably to the palace women, who she guessed were currently kicking one’s heels for the advent of the crown princess. Frantically looking around her chamber, she scampers to her ornate cabinet, uncoordinatedly almost knocking her table over when she feels the same throbbing pain on her temples, causing the empty bottles of _sake_ to clatter over each other.

Then again, she hears the fretful tone of the palace woman outside her door. “Your Imperial Majesty, I apologize for disturbing you but is everything all right in there?”

The crown princess eccentrically clears her throat, bobbing her head to form a simple nod as though her lady-in-waiting couldn’t see her. “Yes, everything’s fine. I’ll be heading out in a quick minute.”

As she scarcely slips out of her _uwagi_ – a patterned silk robe that she had stained with liquor, or her perspiration, previously the night before – she lets out small grunts when she manages to fish her physique out of her robes, leaving her in her noble _kimono_ , an _obi_ sashed around to keep it in place. With the thought of an imperial breakfast hovering in her mind, she takes one’s leave from her chambers, discarding the fallen robes on the floor without any hesitation before demurely walking to the sliding doors.

Right by the doorway, she meets her senior court lady halfway through with servants and other palace women lined behind her, who stood modestly before the crown princess before giving the noble a respectful bow once taking notice of her presence. She pinned her hopes up that none of them could smell the sweat that soaked up her _kimono_ , nor the smell of alcohol from her breath, though she knew it was a hope not worth considering. She warmly smiles at her senior court lady, one who carries the name of Hitomi. “Good morning, Your Imperial Majesty. Her Imperial Majesty is waiting for your presence at the royal dining room. May we proceed with the arraying of Your Imperial Majesty?”

The crown princess nods at her senior court lady in approval, capturing the sight of the chambermaids walking into her chambers to clean up the shambles she had undoubtedly caused the night before with the corner of her eye. Then, the crown princess is escorted silently by the court ladies to the imperial washroom, eyes set straight forward in front of her as the court ladies walk behind her.

The imperial breakfast wasn’t something the crown princess was looking forward to, even in a thousand years if she were so given the chance. To be in the presence of her imperial lineage that so deeply regarded her with contempt, she’d rather not bring herself face to face with them. The thought about them lingers on her mind – she _is_ the crown princess, the only rightful heir to her mother’s throne, and the designated successor anointed by the empress. 

She couldn’t wrap her head around as to why they had this bitter resentment towards her. For all she burdened oneself with, she was partly aware of the reason.

“Her Imperial Majesty has arrived!”

A booming voice roared across the area of the imperial dining room, alerting the attendees about the presence of the crown princess heading her way into the scene. The two palace women simultaneously swing the doors open in a dignified manner, hanging their heads low when the crown princess makes her appearance to the imperial family, followed by the gathering of her court ladies trailing closely right behind her.

The crown princess enters the expanse of the dining room with soundless steps, fully presenting herself to the eyes of her imperial family – her hair of considerable length cascaded down her back in smooth, lustrous strands, the robes of her attire dragging themselves against the floor with each step, and her unpretentious posture conveying the condescending title that she so had been anointed to.

She looks at the eyes of her imperial family, taking notice of how her maternal lineage gazed at her intently in a disdainful manner. All of them were seated before the dining table, heads turned to the entrance of the chamber as to where the crown princess stood. Glancing around the room, there were at least dozens of palace women lined up against the wall, bowing to her. She sees her father – the emperor, looking at her appreciatively, her maternal half-siblings who had eyes full of desolation, her extended family from both parentage, the noble consorts of her mother, and the empress – her mother, who smiled at her gratifyingly.

“Yena.”

Her mother’s voice softly called out to her daughter, requesting her to ensconce herself on the chair located at the edge of the dining table. _Yena_. That’s her name, the very denomination that draws a distinction between her and others. The crown princess, Choi Yena, took unhurried steps towards the vacant seat her mother had invited her to sit on, carefully settling herself down as Hitomi pushed the chair forward.

Yena could scarcely remember the last time the imperial family had gathered for a simple dining. She could hardly remember the last time her siblings dared to lay an eye on her. Her siblings, ones who shared her mother’s blood with her – all seven of them looked at her ambivalently, seemingly with different perceptions towards her. Though they were illegitimate successors, she hadn’t treated them any differently. However, one rose up disparate compared to the others.

“It has taken you a while,” The voice of the eldest prince intruded as the moment takes place, eyeing the dishes eventually served on the dining table by the palace women. The air fills up with inconvenience, causing the empress to smile at her second born, in hopes for the imperial family to pay no heed to the tension. “I’m sure Yena had a lot to preside over – and that’s as to why she arrived behind time. Isn’t that so, Yena?”

Yena was desirous of the reason to be as simplistic as her mother’s claim when truth untold, she had just spent the last night immersing herself in needless amounts of sake. But she took notice that if they had known about it, they’d not only disregard her as a shame to the imperial family, she’d also bring dishonor to her title as the crown princess. It is what Yena is abstaining herself from for she is to be the unceasing monarch of her empire – to be the empress of the land of Nihon.

The crown princess nods at her mother’s question, forcing a small smile to break out of her lips. “Yes, I did, mother. In fact, it was a long night.” Sai, the eldest of the empress’ children, stays silent at the response of the crown princess, taking the utensils into his big, callous hands. The empress, then, smiles brightly at her eldest daughter before assenting for everyone to go ahead with their dining.

To Yena, she hasn’t regarded Sai as anyone else other than a brother who shares her mother’s blood with her – however, he was the eldest out of the eight living children, and Yena has always acclaimed him with respect. Yena was the fifth born out of all the empress’ thirteen children, one who was unforeseen to succeed the throne.

“Look! It looks like a weird tree,” Rui, aged eight, softly giggles to himself as he holds up his pair of chopsticks at Yena, showing her the steamed vegetable he had on his plate. As a return, the corner of Yena’s lips raises up into a smile, holding her hand up to the top of his head before quickly patting it down. Rui had a twin – Rian, the youngest of the thirteen children, one who was much more reticent than the other. And although Yena is in favor of both, she acknowledges that Rui’s closer to her in terms of intimacy.

“Good morning, Yena. How was your night?” Yena hears the familiar tone from one of her bosom brothers, her head turning to the direction of the voice before catching sight of Isao glancing at her. Isao was the tenth child of the empress, and a prince who was well educated. His father was a wealthy courtesan who served in the imperial court, thus, clearly being approachable when it came to the benefit of court affairs. Yena gives him a small bow with her head, eyeing him with such regard. “Good morning to you too, brother. I had a… splendid night.”

Yena was grateful, though, for Isao couldn’t perceive through her words full of deception. The tenth child nods peacefully when the crown princess answers his question, focusing back on his plate that looked full of greens. As Yena bites into the piece of meat, her eyes scan through the room once again – eyes immediately landing on the court ladies all around the area. How piteous. The crown princess looked at them woefully, she had just wished she was in the authority to feed them this morning. A morning where she was occupying the dining table with her family.

The silent air had, then, been interrupted as a noble from across the table cleared their throat, wishing for every person behind the dining table to take notice of them. It was the empress dowager – the mother of the empress, seizing their attention at the moment. When every head turns to look at her, she clears her throat for a second time, seemingly ready to utter a word. “It’s not often we gather in the morning to dine together. As for the empress’ request, I’m certain there’s a reason she had called all of us together. Is that so?”

The empress dowager glances at her daughter, evidently expecting an explicit answer. Yena thinks the empress dowager was right, it wasn’t frequent for all of them to convene early in the morning unless the empress was going to declare news to them. Yena could only wonder what it would be. The empress bobs her head in agreement to the empress dowager’s statement before facing the rest of the imperial family.

“That’s correct. I had called you all this morning for the reason that Goguryeo had recently issued a statement about the coronation of their crown princess.”

Just as expected, low murmurs were heard throughout the table as quick as a snap of a finger, quiet whispering making its way through like a coursing river. The empress watched as her children and consorts turned to look at each other, sharing opinions on the matter.

“What do you possibly suggest by that, mother?”

“Goguryeo? You mean, from the land of Samhan?”

“Goguryeo has a new queen? What happened, mother?”

Goguryeo. Yena gripped onto her utensils with such force until her knuckles turned snow white. She knew the nation of Samhan, it was the country not so distant from the land of Nihon, a country of internal turmoil. From what she had an understanding of, Samhan is one land with three active kingdoms – and one of them being Goguryeo, the largest out of the three. Goguryeo was the kingdom where her father was born, and the kingdom that subconsciously made her recall the agony she wanted to forget.

“It has come to word that unfortunately, the king of Goguryeo has recently passed away. The crown princess has come of age to succeed his throne and will be the new monarch of their kingdom. They have reached out to the kingdom of Heian that we are welcomed to the crown princess’ ceremony that’s due in one week.”

In one week. The ceremony was going to be held in less than a week in a kingdom that she was unmindful about. It was in a nation that wasn’t any different from the land of Nihon – a crown princess, just like her, is expected to succeed the throne in one week and be in control as the new ruler of the kingdom of Goguryeo. Yena does admit to herself she does find similarities between them, and she doesn’t stop herself from thinking about her own enthronement. She, then, hears the inquisitive tone from Isao. “Mother, does that mean the imperial family of Nihon is attending?”

The empress nods as a response to the tenth child’s question, her hands composedly set on top of her lap. If elegance were to be a person, it would undoubtedly be the empress of Nihon. She clearly resembled an ingenious woman whose intentions were to rule an empire with high virtue. She exuded the right atmosphere every citizen yearned for. “That’s right. I have made arrangements for the imperial family to set sail in three days. All members of the imperial family are then expected to settle the necessary.” the empress notifies each person behind the dining table, adding more to the information.

“The kingdom of Goguryeo is looking forward to the imperial family’s presence. We should pay our respect to their crown princess, Kang Hyewon.”

&.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The anointed crown princess of the kingdom of Goguryeo feels it is difficult to grasp its kingdom’s current situation. The news of her father, the deceased king, Kang Juwon’s tragic demise has appalled every resident in the nation. It all felt too precipitous, even too sudden for the crown princess herself. Kang Hyewon has a great obligation following her, a responsibility to take the place of her father’s throne and become the next ruler of Goguryeo.

There is a huge weight on Hyewon’s shoulders, one that seems to strain itself onto her forcefully. She feels the pressure coming from the royal family _and_ from the people of her nation. She was well aware they had a lot to expect from her, for she’s the daughter of the deceased king, after all. She’s the only legitimate child and was the anointed crown princess by Juwon himself. There was no one else but Hyewon.

The ceremony of her coronation is set to take place in one week, and Hyewon feels like time was speeding too fast. No moment could ever urge her to compose herself for this. There was a lot to think about – Goguryeo is the largest kingdom out of all three kingdoms of Samhan, that alone was enough to make anyone shiver in pressure. It is a kingdom of power, a kingdom that isn’t even hers to begin with. 

“Your Royal Highness? Are you in there?” a gentle knock on the door startles her from her thoughts, pulling her back into the reality in which she exists in. The reality which was given to her involuntarily. As Hyewon leans back against her chair, she heaves out a big sigh, her shoulders visibly slouching down as if they have given up from the weight. “I’m inside. Make yourself known.”

The sound of the door creaking echoes throughout the royal library, making the crown princess anticipate for the sudden visitor. Hyewon hears the moderate pace of the incoming footsteps, her head whipping towards the figure who had entered her domain, only to discover her senior court lady approaching her with a tray topped with porcelain cups, in which she assumes are filled up with tea infused with leaves. As the court lady approaches, she comes to a stop next to where Hyewon was sitting down, bowing to her as a sign of respect.

The senior court lady evaded the eyes of the crown princess, standing rigidly as if to ask for consent. Hyewon notices this, and eyes the tray in her hands, looking up once again to her senior court lady. “What is this for?” there was a hint of confusion in Hyewon’s tone, waiting for the answer of her senior court lady. She vaguely remembers asking for tea from the palace women, or she doesn’t remember anything at all. The senior court lady answers in a relaxed manner, “This is from Her Royal Highness, the queen herself. She has requested me to bring you a fresh cup of boiled green tea, Your Royal Highness.”

Hyewon nods for her to continue, letting her place down the tray on the table, just inches away from her paperwork. It was at this moment when Hyewon realized the state of the royal library – books were stacked over one another like an imposing tower, scratches of paper crumpled and torn into shreds, and the sleeves of her royal attire stained with ink from its reservoir. Visually, it looks like a downright heap, she admits. There isn’t much she could do about it, anyway, not when her coronation is one week away.

Her senior court lady bows to the crown princess right after arraying down the tray for her, her heels turning to move her body with it, prepared to leave the area when Hyewon abruptly gets a hold of her wrist. “Your Royal Highness—!” the senior court lady yelps in surprise, looking back at the crown princess. Hyewon softly tugs on her wrist, as if coaxing her to remain behind. This, of course, baffles the senior court lady, her eyes blinking rapidly at the sudden action of the crown princess.

“I kindly ask of you to stay, Minjoo.”

The senior court lady purses her lips together, still bemused by the sudden request. Slowly, she takes a step closer to the crown princess, letting Hyewon softly pull her down to sit on the chair beside her. As far as Minjoo could remember, she was the designated court lady for Hyewon for five years, nothing more, nothing less. Her service has always been for the crown princess throughout the years, never changing even once. Considering this, Minjoo believed she had an insight into Hyewon’s personal life, and in spite of this, Hyewon had never requested her to intimately stay. It makes her wonder what’s coming across the crown princess’ mind.

“Your Royal Highness, what could be so important to you to ask me to remain?” Minjoo whispers once the other has released her hold on her wrist, head slowly turning towards Hyewon. The crown princess makes a short pause, almost stifling to the both of them, before picking up the brush with her hand. “My coronation is taking place in a week,” she says nonchalantly, sliding the brush against the paper to create dexterous strokes.

Minjoo feels confused, her eyebrows unnoticeably scrunching under the dim shade of the light. As the senior court lady of the crown princess, it is her duty to assist the noblewoman with all her potency, and undoubtedly, she feels a tense air circling around the royal library. “Yes, it is. Will there be a problem with it, Your Royal Highness?” In return, Hyewon maintains a short pause once again, even supposing, in deep thought.

“No, I cannot say for certain that there would be an issue with it, but… it’s about the reign of my father.” As soon as Hyewon utters the mention of the deceased king, Minjoo’s head turns to look at her in dubiety. The kingdom of Goguryeo is currently persisting with the absence of a monarch, one that is particularly waiting for the crowning of the departed king’s daughter. “Is there a matter with the reign of the late king, Your Royal Highness?”

Minjoo still feels an uncanny air looming all around them, particularly fixated on the crown princess. This makes her get in a fluster for the woman, not knowing the reason as to why Hyewon is acting peculiar from the usual. She knew something was troubling the crown princess – from the death of her father to handling the whole kingdom on her own, there was no reason not to be burdened. Hyewon looks back to the book she was studying with, writing down strokes from the content. “My father had bemused me with how he had control over the kingdom. I wasn’t there from the start, but I’m sure you were.”

Hyewon starts with a wary tone, almost suggesting a possibility about Minjoo’s life. Minjoo just nods along, watching how elegant Hyewon moves her arm to the flow of the strokes. No matter how absurd it sounded, the crown princess is right, Minjoo knew more about Goguryeo than her. “I was born here, Your Royal Highness. I’ve been here for the entirety of my life. I’ve witnessed how the late king has reigned over the kingdom prior to becoming a palace woman.”

“I know,” Hyewon responds rather calmly. She was well aware of the fact for the reason it was outright obvious. Everyone in the palace was born in the kingdom of Goguryeo – and that is, excluding Hyewon. “I’m expected to be the queen of Goguryeo in a week. I’m expected to rule over a kingdom that isn’t even my home to begin with.” A short pause, fairly a dispirited one. “The people of Goguryeo envision me to be fairer than my father, but how could I do that when Goguryeo isn’t where I actually belong to?”

“To be a queen of a kingdom I was once a slave in. It’s ironic, isn’t it?”

As Minjoo’s lips pursed together, she let out a hitched breath from the crown princess’ statement. It’s something she didn’t want to remind herself with. It’s a topic sensitive enough for the crown princess not to talk about, and for her to open it up shocks the senior court lady out of her wits. She knew all about it, being the crown princess’ senior court lady meant she had to know everything about Hyewon, for she had to serve her as her personal assistant for as long as she could. 

Hyewon adds, “I am under the impression that _the_ late king is vile for permitting the dealing of slaves. Even after falling in love with one, shouldn’t he have thought about it?” It made Hyewon sick to the core of her stomach, she couldn’t process everything that was being pointed at her. She was compelled into being the crown princess, a title that was given to her as such a young age. “So, how could I, Minjoo? How could I become the queen of a kingdom that took my freedom?”

Minjoo finds herself silent at the question, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. She couldn’t empathize with Hyewon easily as she had no clue of what the situation had to be like for Hyewon. A child subjected into a revolting ordeal by the late king is what the people of Goguryeo didn’t know about. No one amongst the people of Goguryeo had any idea about the crown princess not being of royal blood. “I’m afraid I cannot answer that, Your Royal Highness. I am not in the position to speak over your situation.”

“You know me too well, Minjoo,” Hyewon comments, surprising the senior court lady. She does know the crown princess, just not enough to grasp what she had gone through. It almost makes Minjoo feel incompetent as a court lady. “After all, I cannot always presume that anyone could empathize with me. Not in a kingdom that was ruled with abominable cruelty during my father’s reign.” Minjoo felt apologetic for a sudden while, eyes darting to the table in an attempt to handle all the information projected towards her. She really didn’t have any clue as to how to respond.

“However, I think highly of your service for me throughout the years, Minjoo. I don’t think I can express my gratitude for that. Forgive me.” Hyewon lightly chuckles as she turns to look into Minjoo’s flustered eyes. It wasn’t every day when the crown princess would inform her of her appreciation towards the court lady. Hyewon was rather reserved, and not a single word of recognition could roll off her tongue that easily. Minjoo understands, though, for the crown princess hadn’t had a lot of people she could share her emotions with growing up. It made Minjoo feel better about herself, to say the least.

A smile naturally makes itself known on Minjoo’s lips, her lips curling into a gentle smile that made it effortless for her to enthral a person with it. “I understand, Your Royal Highness. I give my whole assurance to offer Your Royal Highness the best of my service. If any inappropriate circumstances were to arise, please do inform me.” the last statement, however, causes Hyewon to let out a chuckle once again, shaking her head as if to retort back. “After all the acts of assistance you’ve given me, I find it difficult to believe that you’d misguide yourself. I trust you a lot, Minjoo.”

The words of honour engulf Minjoo beyond question, causing her to let out a small hitched breath. Her duty didn’t seem too significant in the first place, but in candidly, it actually is. The crown princess trusts her with her duty, it all overwhelms Minjoo in a quick second. “Every noble has something to conceal from their people. In this case, I do too. I have no choice but to.” Hyewon speaks in a low whisper, the curiosity slowly enveloping Minjoo up. The senior court lady stares at the steam emitted by the cup of tea, eyes blinking in interest.

When the crown princess puts down the brush next to the piece of paper she had been writing on, she turns to look at the senior court lady, nodding at her. “Anyhow, the tea might get cold so it’s best for you to get going. Please do send mother my regards. You’re dismissed.” Hyewon gives her a warm smile after the statement of her polite request, watching as Minjoo stands up and gives her a small bow of courtesy.

Minjoo leaves the royal library in quick steps, closing the door behind her as quiet as she could. It left Hyewon in the chamber with no presence accompanying her whatsoever, causing her to pick up the brush she had set down earlier. Glancing at the newly-boiled tea the senior court lady had made for her, she watches the steam flowing upwards like a cloud being sucked into the horizon. Hyewon is quiet, eyes empty when she stares at the pile of books that were waiting for her. Books that were expected to prepare her for the title of being Goguryeo’s new _queen_.

&.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Yena sat still on a wooden chair in a composed manner, eyes looking straight into the wall behind Hitomi’s back as the senior court lady sat in front of her. The chamber was silent – it was just the crown princess and a handful of palace women accompanying her. Hitomi held up a small brush to the crown princess’ face, silently applying soft strokes on the base of Yena’s pale skin, clearly absorbed in what she was doing. With a final brush from Hitomi, the senior court lady pulls her arm back and scrutinizes Yena’s face.

Hitomi lets out a nod of relief before looking into the crown princess’ eyes in reassurance, setting down the brush on the table beside them. “I have finished, Your Imperial Majesty.” Yena takes it upon herself and stands up, letting the other palace women smoothen out the creases on her imperial attire. The crown princess holds up a mirror by herself, examining herself through the reflecting surface. As a small pride fills her up, she warmly smiles at Hitomi.

“Thank you,” Yena says to the senior court lady, who was arranging the vulnerable bottles of cosmetics back into its place. Hitomi bows in return, reflecting the same smile the crown princess had given her. Yena lets out a sigh to herself, looking at the palace women. “I acknowledge that you do this more than once every single day without rest. It’s getting tiring, isn’t it?”

Hitomi looks at her as if Yena had horns protruding out of her forehead, shaking her head to the question asked. “It’s fine, Your Imperial Majesty. It’s a law we can’t set aside, anyway. I’m just doing what’s best for Your Imperial Majesty.” A smile makes itself visible across Yena’s lips, spreading almost bitterly at the words of her court lady. She waits until the palace women are done retying the ribbon of her _kimono_ before making her way out of the chamber.

There was a longing need in Yena to speak, to hold forth about what she feels about the situation. As the crown princess of Nihon, she felt as if it was erroneous to hide one’s true identity from their people. She felt little to no difference between her and the nobles who claimed they were more fit for the title of empress, and truthfully, Yena just felt the sudden need to defend her worth for the title that was originally hers to begin with, despite her inadequacies.

Hitomi, being the senior court lady of the crown princess, knew exactly what Yena felt about the situation. It was all for an idiotic rule the empire was currently making use of, disabling the unfit and lacking nobles to accede to the throne. That alone makes Yena fume with unknown anger inside her, yet knowing she was part of the nobles who they thought of as incompetent to the empire seemingly tugs her pride down to the ground.

This was the hapless outcome of a person who’s born into the imperial family – everyone isn’t always spoonfed with fortune, that’s for sure, but to add, everyone in the imperial family is taught to see each other as competitors from the start. It was a battle of the monarchs. Becoming the emperor would amount to having inestimable power amongst the nations you ruled, and with all honesty, no member of the imperial family would give that chance up.

Even so, that so-called chance wasn’t heading towards Yena. And she knew that.

A scattering sum of palace women circled the empress of Nihon as they combed the straight edges of the monarch’s hair, silence filling the air. The empress looks straight into the hand mirror held up for her by one of them, eyes inspecting every movement the court ladies were executing. For an empress who had nations to guide, she sure had a lot of time to attend to her hair.

“Her Imperial Majesty, the empress dowager has arrived!”

The doors of her chamber suddenly swing open by the male servants who were waiting outside by the doorway, revealing the sight of the empress’ mother making her way inside the chamber. The presence of the empress dowager merely holds everyone in place, eyes unmoved from the sudden entrance. It wasn’t unusual for her to appear at the most atypical time.

The empress sits unconcerned, eyes following her mother walking towards her, and as if on cue, a soft smile is seen on the empress’ lips. “Good morning to you, mother,” she starts in a gentle tone. “What brings you here at such an hour?”

The empress dowager makes herself comfortable on the chair located across the empress, returning the smile she was given. “I came to stay to talk about something. Do you mind?” the empress immediately shakes her head at the question before nodding at the palace women for the dismissal of their duty. The empress waited for a few moments for the palace women to take their leave, leaving the two women in the empress’ chamber alone.

“What do you want to talk about, mother?” the empress turns to fully face her mother, eyebrows raised in interest at the sudden mention of it. Her mother wasn’t always the one to start topics out of the blue, there wasn’t any time she could grab a hold of to even talk about one. That alone makes the empress question the possible topics her mother could disclose. 

“It’s about Yena.”

Involuntarily, the empress’ ears perk up at the mention of her fifth child. She always showed a solicitous behaviour towards Yena, perhaps not only for being the eldest daughter amongst her children but also for being the only legitimate child among them. Yena is the only child she has with the current emperor of Nihon, thus allowing the title of being the crown princess to pass down to her naturally. 

“What about her, mother?” the empress asks in a tone so soft it could faintly be heard by the woman in front of her. She watches as the empress dowager uneasily shifts herself on the chair before looking into her eyes. “It’s about Yena’s enthronement.” The empress stays silent for a while, waiting for her mother to finish her statement. Judging from the first sentence alone, it makes her wonder about the outcome of their discussion. 

“I’ve pondered about it for a long time, along with the members of the imperial family,” the empress dowager nonchalantly enlightens her daughter with the information. There is a thick air surrounding them in an instant, and the empress immediately takes notice of it, keeping still on her seat. “I think you should consider the matter as well.”

The empress feels her state of mind warping into confusion, her eyebrows furrowing at what her mother had just said. There isn’t a tint of information she gets from it, and instead, a wave of confusion clouds over her head like a gusty night. “What do you mean by that, mother?”

“What I meant to say is,” there’s a short pause in between her words, seemingly lengthening the conversation that only made the atmosphere uneasy. “Perhaps, Yena shouldn’t be the crown princess.”

The bewilderment comes into the empress like a strong ripple, her eyes widening in a confound manner, clearly not anticipating what her mother has in store for her. As a natural reaction, she tilts her head at the empress dowager, mind lost in a jumbled collection of her thoughts. “Pardon?” the empress lets out a small laugh, trying to ease the situation. “I don’t understand, mother. Why shouldn’t Yena be the crown princess?”

“As I was saying, the imperial family, me included, doesn’t think she’s prepared to succeed the throne,” the empress watches her mother with a perplexed expression. There was a lot for her to unwrap, though her mind wasn’t grasping it yet. “She’s too young to understand what the land of Nihon needs – what _our_ people expect from her. We believe she’s not competent enough to handle what the outside world offers her.”

“We think highly that it’s not her time yet to be given such a big role,” Her mother adds in a low mutter. “So, if I could kindly propose, please consider making Sai as the crown prince instead.”

The empress feels the added confusion wash over her, then disbelief. Her eyelids rapidly blink at the sudden proposal to be thrown at her by her own mother. Calmly, her hands slowly grip around the sides of the wooden chair, letting her mind process what was being asked of her. The empress looks into her mother’s eyes, noticing the hopeful glint in her irises.

The empress felt confused, disoriented, and perhaps, incredulous of the situation. “Mother, forgive me but I still don’t understand. How could you expect me to anoint Sai as the crown prince? It’s not possible.”

“Sai is the eldest prince, he is very well knowledgeable about the responsibilities of an emperor. He’s fit to be the crown prince.”

“Yes, mother. Sai may be the eldest,” the empress shakes her head at her mother, eyes closing as she does so. “But he’s not a legitimate prince. He can’t be the crown prince. Yena’s the only legitimate child of mine, mother, the only successor to my throne. This is the reason as to why no one else can be crowned but her.”

The empress dowager lets out a sigh of discomfit, leaning forward to take her daughter’s hand into her own. “I know, Himari, but you also have to consider the future of the empire. I’ve told you countless times since you were a young girl – but look at what’s happening right now. You cannot crown Yena as the crown princess.”

“I don’t understand why I possibly cannot crown Yena as my successor, mother. She’s the only child the emperor and I have, and the princess I have verbally crowned in front of our people.” A sudden realization strikes the empress in an instant, causing her to turn her head towards her mother. “On second thought, we’re not having this conversation… just because my husband is from Samhan, correct?”

There was a pregnant pause that followed the question. A silence so mute it made the empress furrow her eyebrows at her mother, noticing how she purses her lips together. It all became all too suspicious to her and without a doubt, she finally understood her mother’s intentions.

“So, we are,” the empress forces a smile to creep up her lips, leaning back against her chair as she retracts her hand from her mother’s grasp. “I understand now, mother. My assumption is correct – you’re against the idea of Yena being the crown princess for the reason that she’s part of Samhan as well. Why does that concern you so much, mother?”

The empress stares at her mother with a look of confusion, clearly hurt from her mother’s intentions. It’s her daughter they were currently talking about, the princess whose purpose is to succeed her throne in the near future. Everything is solely to be left on her daughter, one who the empress knew she could trust, only for her mother to be against it. It pained the empress more than she could imagine.

The empress dowager slowly stands up from her seat, the soles of her feet keeping her still as she paced around the room in silence. “It’s been given that this is not what the empire needs. We don’t believe that Yena is ready to lead an empire that she’s not knowledgeable about.”

“An empire she’s not knowledgeable about? Yena has always been part of the empire, mother, her being part of Samhan does not make less of the fact that she’s part of us too.” the empress feels provoked, enraged even. Every word that came out of her mother’s lips shocked her. “She grew up in this palace throughout her life, mother. She knows about the empire as much as we know about it.”

“That’s true, however, don’t you think it’s not right for an uneducated person to be an empress?” her mother faintly asks, almost striking a nerve in the empress. “Yena does not even know how to read nor write. How could we entrust the future of the empire on her if she lacks basic knowledge? It’s not right.”

“And whose fault do you think that is, mother?” Turning her head to look at her mother, the empress dowager almost feels the burning glare imprinting itself on her imperial attire. The empress feels inflamed from the inquiries coming from the woman pacing around the room, her grip on the sides of her chair tightening by the second. “You were enthusiastic in providing my children with education, all of them _except_ Yena. All of my children were given rights to learn and to be educated, all of them _except_ Yena.”

The empress adds in a state of anger, “Regardless of my persuasion, you never heeded my words and continued to disregard Yena as my daughter. Was it because of the power you had, mother? You had the power to speak over nobles as if they were inferior to you, including me. You disregarded my daughter as part of the imperial family without any valid reason, mother.”

Her mother’s expression freezes in an instant at the sudden attacks coming from the empress, eyebrows furrowing. “Without any reason? You know the reason very well, Himari, more than anyone else. There are a lot of reasons to consider. You know she cannot be the empress for the reason that she’s—”

“Utter another word about my daughter, and I won’t let it pass no matter the fact that you’re my mother.” the empress takes the initiative to stand up on her feet from the chair she had been sitting on, looking back at her mother. “We will not speak a single word about what had happened to Yena. You may be my mother, but I do not wish to tolerate your words any longer.”

As the empress silently walks towards the entrance of her chamber, her lips part to sternly mutter out her farewell.

“It was nice for you to visit, mother. Thank you for wasting my time spewing nonsense.”

The crown princess lightly kicks the small rock as she ebulliently strides down the spacious street from where the palace was located. As lines made by her court ladies and knights trail behind her, they follow the mindless direction of the crown princess along the way, watching as Yena entertains herself leisurely.

Insensible to the fact, there are prying stares burning themselves on Yena's body as the residents of the capital eventually spot her walking on the streets in broad daylight, bemused at the sight of their crown princess’ sudden appearance. Yena doesn't acknowledge herself to always be out in the open, usually she’s inside the palace with little forms of entertainment to keep her diverted.

Yena has her hands clasped together behind her back, head hanging low to look at the little rocks blocking the smooth pace of her walking. She smiles habitually at the waving children by the sides of the streets, looking up at her in awe at the glimpse of the respected noble.

Yena finds them endearing, though, seeing them as children with ethical spirits makes her realize there was nothing different between them. Children raised in unruly environments, depending on elders who’d depend on others as well.

Making a sharp turn on her heels, she changes the direction of her constant walking, seemingly decided on where to go. The court ladies behind her take notice of this and follow closely behind her like ants trailing along with their colony. The crown princess quietly hums to herself as she walks around the open streets, coming to a halt in front of a guarded entrance. 

There were towering walls surrounding the enclosed area, imposing the visitors who chose to visit. Soldiers stood by the entrance with heavy eyes, as if they hadn't slept a wink for more than a second. Upon seeing the crown princess step foot in front of their view, they immediately stand by their sides, making way for Yena and her court ladies to enter without hesitation.

Looking into the view of the enclosed area, Yena sees the lines of training soldiers in action, the swinging of their wooden katanas flying into the air. There was an abundant number of people practising in sync with each other, clearly focused on the prolonged activity they were emerging themselves in.

“Your Imperial Majesty, is there a particular reason why you’ve chosen to go here?” Hitomi curiously asks, watching the soldiers along with the crown princess. Yena shrugs to herself nonchalantly, hands still kept behind her back. She didn’t know the reason as to why, it was more of a leisure to help her pass time, she supposes.

The crown princess stands on the vacant spot for an ample amount of time, squinting in an attempt to look at the trainees who are currently training under the supervision of their instructor. The sight is unfamiliar to her, yet when she hears the booming voice of her brother, it doesn’t feel too unusual for her.

“Oh, Yena,” the said brother approaches her with an expression so pleased it confuses her. Hideo is the third son amongst the thirteen children of the empress, the second in line after Sai. A prince of combat – an embodiment of what he considers himself to be, having known the most about the fundamentals of battle among them. “I never knew you were here, sister. What brings you here?”

He stands modestly and tall before the crown princess, tucking his _katana_ back into the scabbard attached to his uniform. Yena feels her coronet adjusting itself off her head from the sudden breeze of the wind that gently lifts it. There was a lot of sweat spared in a day of such weather, and it makes her wonder to herself.

“I visited to check on how you were doing, brother,” Yena lets out a light chuckle past her lips to accompany her heartfelt deliberateness, watching over the heads of the soldiers who were currently occupied. “There has been an increase in the number of _samurais_ compared to when I last visited.”

Hideo slightly bobs his head in agreement, the loose strands of his front hair waving freely against the wind. “That’s right, Yena. There has been a massive expansion in Nihon’s military recently – there have been additions following the arrival of the new recruits.” His head turns away to look at a particular area within the training grounds, one that seemed tumultuous in all aspects.

The crown princess follows the course of his gaze, watching as a chaotic scene of amateur trainees brawling unfolds before her eyes. Yena fights the urge to squint at the soldiers – simply, there is a flabbergasted stare directed at them, and frankly, the crown princess is at a loss for words. “Are those… the new recruits?”

There is a disheartened sigh coming from the crown princess’ brother, one that exuded a slight feeling of discouragement. There was no need for Hideo to answer, for Yena could already assume. The prince of combat stands closely next to her when the latter takes a big step forward, gaining the courage to walk to the disorderly area.

Yena stops only a few meters away from the scene, her brother and assisting court ladies following her in a hurry. The crown princess’ head tilts at the unpleasant training, seeing as to how they swing their weapons just for the sake of doing so. When Hideo comes close to her side, she lifts her finger in the air, causing the prince to immediately look at where she was pointing at. “That girl to the right of mine, with the mindless swinging,” Yena murmurs clearly, eyes fixated on a specific person close to her. “Who is she?” 

The prince stares at the pointed girl, almost in deep thought in an attempt to recall information about her. “I don’t know much about her seeing that she just arrived a day ago. She’s the newest recruit, actually.” he briefly responds in an uninterested manner, nose scrunching at the poor performance of the mentioned trainee. “The last I’ve known about her was that she was sent here from Goguryeo. And for that reason, she’s considered to be an outcast.”

“Goguryeo…” There was a low whisper that came from the crown princess, a rather indistinct one that could barely be heard by the people around her. There is an unbalanced air around Yena, followed by an unsettled gaze that set itself on the trainee. To the naked eye, it looked like an erratic motion with clueless trainees having no knowledge about swinging a _katana_ , giving an explanation as to why one was swinging towards her at the given moment.

Gasps were heard from the crown princess’ court ladies, and her assisting knights instinctively reaching out to shelter the crown princess from the sudden harm. The prince of combat is taken aback, though, followed with the series of widened eyes from the witnesses around them when they spot the crown princess stepping forward at a flash of a second from the sudden swing of the _katana_ , close enough as to grab the base of the weapon and stopping the trainee from inflicting any upcoming danger.

“Your Imperial Majesty!”

The trainee’s eyes immediately widen in realization when she perceives the view of the crown princess just inches away from her face, almost catching sight of Yena’s cavernous eyes. It was as if the moment had stopped under the control of the crown princess, the events flashing by in a fast tempo. It was difficult for the witnesses to continue their activities as they had taken notice of the crown princess under a possible threat a second before. 

Hideo stands still on his spot, hands positioned over the metal sheath that contained his _katana_ , his posture ready to defend his sister from the vacuous trainee. All eyes are on them, and for a split second, the crown princess leans into the trainee’s ears, whispering in a language foreign to the residents of the empire. “Careful.” 

Yena has her hand on the _katana_ ’s handle, driving it below the trainee’s hands before moving it upwards, fishing the weapon out of her grip. “You could kill someone, maybe even a fellow soldier,” the crown princess alerts with her eyebrows furrowed, eyes still staring into the recruit’s. She spoke in the language native to the trainee’s, hoping it would get her point across. “In this case, you could have killed _me_.”

The momentum of the wielded weapon causes the prince of combat to stay silent, his mind wandering to how the events could’ve gone the other way around if it wasn’t for Yena’s prudence. In the given situation, the trainee’s lips quiver in terror from the realization that she was almost on the brink of slicing _the_ crown princess of Nihon in half. An action that nobody would certainly want to do – unless they were waiting for their own end.

“I… I apologize,” the trainee reacts to Yena’s warning with a soft whisper, clearly showing fright through the tone of her voice. She felt odd about herself, for the fact that not only she could understand what she was saying but the crown princess as well. “I didn’t intend to cause harm to anyone… Your Imperial Majesty.”

The last three words were muttered out at a quick pace, almost inaudible to the crown princess’ sense of hearing. The expression on Yena’s face hadn’t changed a bit and neither one of the witnesses could figure it out. The training grounds looked particularly astonished – the sounds of the swords hitting against one another and the random cries of exertion stopping. 

In a swift motion, Yena safely pushes the blade against the trainee’s chest, staring at her in fascination, at least. She had almost killed a crown princess, an important noble in the imperial family, and it amazes Yena at how coherent the new recruit became no matter the consequences. “Interesting,” she says nonchalantly, letting go of the _katana_ once the trainee had held it up her chest. “What’s your name?”

There is no reason for the new recruit not to answer, and the sudden question almost takes her by surprise, evidently not expecting the crown princess to personally ask her about her identity. The continuous breeze causes the trainee’s short hair to follow its direction, her hair almost covering her appalled eyes.

“Chaewon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this book! it doesn't introduce every character but I'm hoping everyone got the gist of it. thank you for reading!
> 
> [my twitter!](https://twitter.com/yenagram)  
> [my curiouscat!](curiouscat.me/yenagram)


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